JOHN FLANNERY FOR COMMONWEALTH'S ATTORNEY

John Flannery has my total endorsement for Commonwealth's Attorney in Loudoun.
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Flannery Calls on Plowman to Release Records from Tate Indictment

Leesburg attorney launches write-in campaign for Loudoun County Commonwealth Attorney

LEESBURG – In his campaign kickoff Tuesday, Leesburg Attorney John Flannery requested that Commonwealth Attorney Jim Plowman reveal his contacts with Jill Holtzman Vogel's campaign prior to the indictment of Mark Tate.

Flannery delivered a letter and a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to Plowman's office on Tuesday. The request asked Plowman to clear the record on any illegal coordination or leaking of grand jury information related to the Tate case.

"As a Loudoun County resident, taxpayer, and practicing trial lawyer, I have a number of concerns about the way that you prosecuted this case," Flannery wrote. "Loudoun County taxpayers have a right to know what you've been doing with their tax dollars. I am asking therefore that you explain yourself, and take this opportunity to clear the record.

"I am asking that you disclose any and all communications with ten (10) persons, associated with the Senate campaign of Ms. Vogel, and specifically in that period over the months preceding Mr. Tate's indictment."

By Virginia FOIA law, Plowman has five days to respond to the request.

Flannery announced Tuesday that he was running a write-in campaign against Plowman, motivated by the recent dismissal of the Tate case. Last week, the 11 charges against Tate were dropped, in part because the grand jury had been tainted. Tate ran against Vogel in June's primary.

"Loudoun County taxpayers deserve better," Flannery said Tuesday. "We shouldn't be paying our tax dollars so that Jim Plowman can help his political cronies. Maybe there's an innocent explanation for this, but the burden of proof is on Mr. Plowman. That's why I'm asking him to reveal his records to show he did not communicate with Ms. Vogel or her staff."

Plowman -- who had publicly endorsed his friend Jill Holtzman Vogel -- began his investigation of Tate in February, after receiving a complaint from Laurie Letoumeau, Ms. Holtzman Vogel's babysitter and a campaign volunteer.

Weeks before Tate's indictment, the Virginia Conservative Action PAC – which had also endorsed Holtzman Vogel – posted a blog entry, citing "reliable sources" that Tate was "under intense criminal investigation for serious campaign finance fraud." The following day, Republican Party of Virginia (RPV) Communications Director Shaun Kenney told blogger Ben Tribbett the date of Tate's pending indictment and that RPV Chair Ed Gillespie had personally asked Tate to drop out.

Tate was indicted on May 21st, just three weeks before the election, on nine counts of perjury and two counts of election fraud. He lost the election, and all charges were dropped on October 15.

"I decided to run after a judge dismissed the questionable criminal charges against Mark Tate," Flannery said. "I am furious that Jim is wasting taxpayer dollars on his political agenda in favor of Jill Vogel instead of devoting himself to fighting real crime in Loudoun County. 

"Like many others, I was mad when I read that Jim allegedly 'leaked' grand jury information to a local reporter. But the court's dismissal of those charges left little doubt that Jim had compromised the public trust. Jim has also seemingly lost his voice to explain himself.  It's high time we cleaned house and restored good government."

Flannery is running as a write-in candidate for the Democratic Party on November 6th. ###

Comments

[CSR]

NotLarrySabato - it is nice to see you support a candidate for Commonwealth Attorney is a law breaker. His ad in today's Loudoun Times Mirror and the entirety of his website lack the legally required disclosure statement about who is paying for them. SHOCKING when you consider that this gentleman is asking us to support him as our primary weapon against crime in the streets and he doesn't even know the law well enough to add disclosure statements to his material???

Minor, I don't think so. This lack of attention to detail and illegality is what sets murderers free.

I respectfully ask you to reconsider your full support of this law-breaker.

[PM]

NLS, thank you for keeping the situation in Loudon in the news. We're not talking just about political hanky panky here. We're talking about turning a prosecutor's office into a political tool. That is what police states do. Send people to jail on a pretext? People who do that have a Lenin/Stalin mentality.

Jill Vogel worked for and had a key position with the RNC when it was a den of corruption. She should not be in the public arena.

[Not Eve Marie Barner]

CSR, I haven't seen the LTM ad, but I'm wondering if you responded with the same outrage earlier this cycle when the Loudoun GOP's Mike Firetti ran an ad for months with no disclosure?

Further, I'd still take Flannery, or even Jared Fogle the Subway guy over Plowman who has demonstrated a complete disdain for the office he holds and the people he represents, other than Dale Polen Myers.

[CSG]

NEMB (or should I say Loudoun Insider):
1) Mike Firetti is not a lawyer.
2) Mike Firetti is not asking for your vote to be the chief law enforcement official in Loudoun County.
3) John Flannery is a lawyer.
4) John Flannery is asking for your vote to be the chief law enforcement official in Loudoun County.

Even Jared Fogle knows enough to put the disclosure on this ads and website.

[CSR]

The law is the law Not Eve.

[CSR]

BTW NEMB, do you know the status of the Firetti complaint...have you asked, or are you just assuming no action is being taken?

[ConsertvativeFlagFan]

Disdain for his office? NEMB, you sure you got the right word there, pal?

He has disdain for the reporter who turned him in, but I don't think he scorns or despises his office.

Pick up a dictionary!

NLS, you are very brave for taking on Mr. Plowman in such a public way. There are many folks in Loudon who fear getting on the wrong side of his power.

[Not Eve Marie Barner]

CSR, I'm not LI! And I don't know who LI is, unless the rampant rumors are true.

And if Flannery made the same mistake Firetti did I hope Flannery and the paper in question will correct it.

And it sounds like you have inside information about an investigation into Firetti. Care to share?

[Loudoun Insider]

Now I'm accused of being Not Eve Marie Barner??? Of course it isn't surprising since I seem to be behind everything going on in Loudoun County these days according to the wingnuts.

Flannery is just as much of a partisan as Plowman, but from the other side. That he was stupid enough to run ads without an authority line does not speak well at all for his future performance in political law enforcement. What a choice we have. I'm still sticking with Jared.

Who knows where the Firetti complaint is. Of course Plowman and his office should have nothing to do with it since Plowman sat in on a meeting where Firetti discussed things such as "let me know how to get money to people" and "don't worry we'll get around those open meeting laws". And how is he supposed to be unbiased when investigating this guy?

[Not Harry F. Byrd, Sr.]

Gentlemen (or Gentlebloggers):

I do not believe that the campaign finance reporting, disclosure, etc. rules apply to write-in campaigns because none of it is paid for by a statutorily-defined campaign committee.

I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure those are the rules. He may be smarter than you think.

[CSR]

Nothing on the inside (i can't get the inside information in my own household), just a pointing out that everyone presumes nothing is happening with Firetti and other investigations and low and behold, weeks later there are newspaper stories that the CA has investigated and fined or what have you. Just trying to help people not hurt themselves while jumping to conclusions.

[Doug in Mount Vernon]

Regardless, he's still a better candidate.

Write-in "John Flannery"!

[CSR]

NHFBS: I believe it is still applicable, Jack Ryan (another write in) has it on his ads. Also, Mr. Flannery must have realized his mistake, because he has added the disclosure to his website this morning, where yesterday it was CLEARLY not there.

[Loudoun Insider]

CSR, you really are winging it. Jack Ryan isn't a write-in, he's a purported "Independent" (who just happened to turn into one after being beaten by Lori Waters at the LCRC convention) and he collected enough signatures (including Dale Polen Myers) to be on the official ballot. And where are the stories about what action if any Plowman has taken against Firetti (which he MUST recuse himself from anyway)? Flannery should know better if he wants to "clean up" the CA office. I think he'll be just as partisan as Plowman.

[CSR]

LI, you are right, bad analogy on Ryan. I will agree with you that Flannery should know better and apparently know does.

[CSR]

seems to me that looking at Commonwealth law (24.2 that governs elections) candidate means candidate - it shall include write-in candidates as well. Just wanted to clarify for you Mr. Not Harry Byrd Sr. since my first response so missed the mark.

[John Flannery]

I AM JOHN FLANNERY.

I am asking others to write in my name for Commonwealth Attorney.

As this blog has fairly reported it, I want to replace Jim Plowman, the current Commonwealth Attorney, our local prosecutor, because he has compromised his office, by favoring a political crony over his oath of office. In the bargain, Jim has compromised his office irreparably.

I asked Jim last week to explain himself, to tell me what he did and when he did it, and he has told reporters that he has lots of thoughts but no public comments.

So you can only know what Jim thinks and what he did - if you can read his mind. That's not an acceptable response from any public official.

It was the recent dismissal of the charges against Tate that made it crystal clear that the grand jury process had become tainted. Before that there had been a lot to concern the community, myself included, but this dismissal was the clincher.

I was upset - as others were - that no one was coming forward.

Some told me they were writing in my name absentee.

I thought I had to do something myself. So that's why I agreed to a write-in campaign. I have had the support of Republicans and Independents and been endorsed by the Democratic Party this past Wednesday.

In the days since I announced, court officers and citizens have told me they agree.

I know this is anecdotal evidence - and hardly of statistical significance -but you tell me if you don't feel the same way.

Many have told me that we can't have a prosecutor - Jim Plowman - who appears to have his thumb on the scales of justice.

I was a federal prosecutor and a state prosecutor and I was Special Counsel to the Senate Judiciary and to the House Judiciary Committee. I would never have indicted someone three weeks before an election. I would never have discussed a pending grand jury investigation with a reporter - as is claimed by one reporter.

I am running for this job because I want to do the job. I want to restore the Commonwealth Attorney's reputation. I am not just running to make a point - although it is an important point. I want to serve as the Commonwealth Attorney and make this the best public law office in the Commonwealth.

If you have any questions, write or give me a shout (703-771-8344. Please do visit the web site we've assembled so you can get some sense of who we are and what we're trying to do.

You have to ask yourself, if we do nothing, will we be better off four years from now?

I think the answer is NO.

That's why I decided to run.

That's why I hope that you will take the time to write in my name - John Flannery - on November 6 - or by absentee ballot if you vote sooner.

John

[CSR]

John - how can you uphold the laws of the Commonwealth when all your ads last week and your website (since corrected) clearly violated the law by not having the proper disclosure statements? Seems like a campaign to be the top law enforcement office in the County should follow all the laws to a T.

Political gadfly John Flannery is wasting everyones' time once again.